The race: At km 3 Omega Pharma-Lotto rider Sebastian Lang took off, riding solo for more than 200 km, becoming the virtual maglia rosa with a lead that grew to be over 18 minutes before getting reeled in. Other breaks were then attempted, but the sprinters were not to be denied. Alessandro Petacchi took the stage and Mark Cavendish become the new Pink Jersey. Cavendish protested that Petacchi hadn't held his line. Petacchi's stage win was upheld.

Results:

Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) 5hr 45min 40sec. 42.352 km/hr

Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) s.t.

Manuel Belletti (Colnago-CSF) s.t.

Roberto Ferrari (Androni Giocattoli) s.t.

Borut Bozic (Vacansoleil) s.t.

Davide Appollonio (Sky) s.t.

Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo) s.t.

Robbie McEwen (Radio Shack) s.t.

Wouter Weylandt (Leopard-Trek) s.t.

Matteo Montaguti (Ag2r) s.t.

Alexander Kristoff (BMC) s.t.

Fabio Taborre (Acqua & Sapone) s.t.

Fabio Sabatini (Liquigas) s.t.

Francisco José Ventoso (Movistar) s.t.

Dennis Van Winden (Rabobank) s.t.

Francesco Chicchi (Quick Step) s.t.

Michele Scarponi (Lampre) s.t.

Christophe Le Mevel (Garmin-Cervelo) s.t.

Oliver Zaugg (Leopard-Trek) s.t.

Oscar Gatto (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli) s.t.

Mark Renshaw (HTC-Highroad) s.t.

Robert Kiserlovski (Astana) s.t.

Dario Cataldo (Quick Step) s.t.

Michael Barry (Sky) s.t.

Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) s.t.

Valerio Agnoli (Liquigas) s.t.

David Arroyo (Movistar) s.t.

Brice Feillu (Leopard-Trek) s.t.

Alberto Contador (Saxo) s.t.

Fumiyuki Beppu (Radio Shack) s.t.

GC after Stage 2:

Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) 6hr 6min 27sec

Kanstantsin Sivtsov (HTC-Highroad) @ 12sec

Craig Lewis (HTC-Highroad) s.t.

Marco Pinotti (HTC-Highroad) s.t.

Lars Ytting Bak (HTC-Highroad) s.t.

Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) @ 16sec

Robbie McEwen (Radio Shack) @ 22sec

Fumiyuki Beppu (Radio Shack) s.t.

Yaroslav Popovych (Radio Shack) s.t.

Tiago Machado (Radio Shack) s.t.

Robert Hunter (Radio Shack) s.t.

Bjorn Selander (Radio Shack) s.t.

Philip Deignan (Radio Shack) s.t.

Jan Bakelandts (Omega Pharma-Lotto) @ 32sec

Fabio Sabatini (Liquigas) @ 34sec

Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) s.t.

Valerio Agnoli (Liquigas) s.t.

Gert Dockx (Omega Pharma-Lotto) s.t.

Alessandro Vanotti (Liquigas) s.t.

Klaas Lodewyck (Omega Pharma-Lotto) s.t.

Tiziano Dall'Antonia (Liquigas) s.t.

Eros Capecchi (Liquigas) s.t.

Jussi Veikkanen (Omega Pharma-Lotto) s.t.

Bart De Clercq (Omega Pharma-Lotto) s.t.

Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo) @ 36sec

Michele Scarponi (Lampre) s.t.

Christophe Le Mevel (Garmin-Cervelo) s.t.

Mark Renshaw (HTC-Highroad) s.t.

Diego Ulissi (Lampre) s.t.

Danilo Hondo (Lampre) s.t.

Points (red jersey):

Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre): 25 points

Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad): 20

Manuel Belletti (Colnago-CSF): 16

Climber (green jersey):

Sebastian Lang (Omega Pharma-Lotto): 3 points

Valerio Agnoli (Liquigas): 2

Cristiano Salerno (Liquigas): 1

Young Rider (white jersey):

Bjorn Selander (Radio Shack): 6hr 6min 49sec

Jan Bakelandts (Omega Pharma-Lotto) @ 10sec

Gert Dockx (Omega Pharma-Lotto) @ 12sec

Team GC:

HTC-Highroad: 17hr 37min 59sec

Radio Shack @ 10sec

Liquigas @ 22sec

Stage 2 route map

Stage 2 profile

Stage 3:Monday, May 9, Reggio Emilia - Rapallo, 173 km

The Race: Wouter Weylandt (Leopard-Trek) died after crashing on the Passo del Bocco, a very technical descent. Presentation ceremonies were cancelled.

Results:

Angel Vicioso (Androni Giocattoli) 3hr 57min 38sec. 43.680 km/hr

David Millar (Garmin-Cervelo) s.t.

Pablo Lastras Garcia (Movistar) s.t.

Daniel Moreno (Katusha) s.t.

Christophe Le Mevel (Garmin-Cervelo) s.t.

Bram Tankink (Rabobank) @ 12sec

Jérôme Pineau (Quick Step) s.t.

Sacha Modolo (Colnago-CSF) @ 21sec

Fabio Taborre (Acqua & Sapone) s.t.

Matteo Montaguti (Ag2r) s.t.

Davide Vigano (Leopard-Trek) s.t.

Sergey Lagutin (Vacansoleil) s.t.

Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) s.t.

Mikel Cherel (Ag2r) s.t.

Jan Bakelandts (Omega Pharma-Lotto) s.t.

Murilo Fischer (Garmin-Cervelo) s.t.

Gerald Ciolek (Quick Step) s.t.

Jackson Rodriguez (Androni Giocattoli) s.t.

Matteo Carrara (Vacansoleil) s.t.

Inaki Isasi (Euskaltel) s.t.

Borut Bozic (Vacansoleil) s.t.

Danilo Wyss (BMC) s.t.

Michele Scarponi (Lampre) s.t.

Oliver Zaugg (Leopard-Trek) s.t.

Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) s.t.

Luis Pasamontes (Movistar) s.t.

Alberto Contador (Saxo) s.t.

Yaroslav Popovych (Radio Shack) s.t.

Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) s.t.

Marco Pinotti (HTC-Highroad) s.t.

GC after stage 3:

David Millar (Garmin-Cervelo) 10hr 4min 29sec

Angel Vicioso (Androni Giocattoli) @ 7sec

Kanstantsin Sivtsov (HTC-Highroad) @ 9sec

Marco Pinotti (HTC-Highroad) s.t.

Craig Lewis (HTC-Highroad) s.t.

Christophe Le Mevel (Garmin-Cervelo) @ 12sec

Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) @ 13sec

Pablo Lastras Garcia (Movistar) @ 18sec

Yaroslav Popovych (Radio Shack) @ 19sec

Tiago Machado (Radio Shack) s.t.

Philip Deignan (Radio Shack) s.t.

Bram Tankink (Rabobank) @ 26sec

Jan Bakelandts (Omega Pharma-Lotto) @ 29sec

Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) @ 31sec

Fabio Sabatini (Liquigas) s.t.

Valerio Agnoli (Liquigas) s.t.

Eros Capecchi (Liquigas) s.t.

Jussi Veikkanen (Omega Pharma-Lotto) s.t.

Michele Scarponi (Lampre) @ 33sec

Murilo Fischer (Garmin-Slipstream) s.t.

Diego Ulissi (Lampre) s.t.

Denni Van Winden (Rabobank) @ 35sec

Steven Kruijswijk (Rabobank) s.t.

Pieter Weening (Rabobank) s.t.

Alberto Contador (Saxo) @ 37sec

Richie Porte (Saxo) @ 39sec

Volodymir Gustov (Saxo) s.t.

Jérôme Pineau (Quick Step) @ 42sec

Borut Bozic (Vacansoleil) @ 46sec

Sergey Lagutin (Vacansoleil) s.t.

Points (red jersey):

Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre): 28 points

Angel Vicioso (Androni Giocattoli): 25

David Millar (Garmin-Cervelo): 20

Mark Cavendish: 20

Climber (green jersey):

Gianluca Brambilla (Colnago-CSF): 5 points

Christophe Le Mevel (Garmin-Cervelo): 3

Sebastian Lang (Omega Pharma-Lotto): 3

Young Rider (white jersey):

Jan Bakelandts (Omega Pharma-Lotto): 10hr 4min 58sec

Eros Capecchi (Liquigas) @ 2sec

Diego Ulissi (Lampre) @ 4sec

Team GC:

Garmin Cervelo: 29hr 31min 38sec

HTC-Highroad @ 18sec

Radio Shack @ 28sec

Movistar @ 35sec

Rabobank s.t.

Stage 3 route map

Stage 3 profile

Stage 4:Tuesday, May 10, Quarto dei Mille-Livorno, 216 km

To honor Wouter Weylandt, whose tragic death in stage 3 has shaken the entire cycling world, stage 4 will be neutralized. It will start with a minute's silence and will end with Weylandt's team, Leopard-Trek, crossing the finish line first.

After completing stage 4, Leopard-Trek has decided to withdraw from the Giro. Garmin-Cervelo rider Tyler Farrar is also leaving.

The Race: After last year's spectacular (and incredibly difficult, wet and muddy) day on Tuscany's gravel roads, the Giro had put in in another dose of white roads in 2011. This year there were 19 kilometers of strade bianche. Martin Kohler (BMC) took off almost at the gun and was still away when Pieter Weening (Rabobank) and John Gadret (Ag2r) bridged up to him with about 10 km to go. Weening had plenty of suds and soon left his companions. He soared up the tough climb to Orvieto (which sits at the top of a high mound of tufa) and held of the rampaging hoard for a nice solo win.

The Race: There was a buccaneering break that took off about 15 kilometers into the stage. The break hung on till about 40km to go, then it began to come apart and was sucked up, with the exception of Quick Step rider Kristof Vandewalle. He stayed away until there were less than 2 kilometers to go. Alessandro Petacchi and Francisco Ventoso drag-raced the uphill finish with Petacchi at a disadvantage whenever the road goes up.

The Race: A 5-man escape took off early in today's short stage and managed to stay away until the lower reaches of the final climb, the 5% gradient Montevergine di Mercogliano. There, Omega Pharma rider Bart De Clercq jumped, hoping to make contact with the riders still up the road. He blew by them while the peloton remained disinterested. Towards the top things heated up in the packand De Clercq barely hung on for the stage win. Maglia Rosa Pieter Weening was with the front chase group and retained his lead.

The Race: Again, almost from the gun a break took off, this time Mirko Selvaggi (Vacansoleil) and Leonardo Giordani (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli). They built up a 10-minute lead and weren't caught until about 7 km to go. On the uphill leading to the finish, Oscar Gatto jumped away with Alberto Contador chasing. Gatto held it and the sprinters were denied a stage that was thought perfect for them.

The Race: After various attempts to form the day's break failed, a 5-man group got it together after about 50 kilometers. But on an important day like today, they were doomed. Today had 2 trips up Mt. Etna and on the second trip up the volcano, with about 9 km to go, José Rujano blasted away. After another kilometer of climbing, Contador shot off the front with Michele Scarponi for company... for a while. Scarponi had to surrender (he finished 12th) as the early breakaways were passed. Then it was Rujano's turn. When Contador went by, he grabbed his wheel and it was only after several attacks was Rujano dropped, and not by much. See the picture above, that's Rujano onlya few seconds back. Contador in now the maglia rosa and is well on his way to winning his 6th Grand Tour (Record is 11. Merckx, of course).

Results:

Alberto Contador (Saxo) 4hr 54min 9sec. 34.472 km/hr

José Rujano (Androni Giocattoli) @ 3sec

Stefano Garzelli (Acqua & Sapone) @ 50sec

Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) s.t.

Roman Kreuziger (Astana) s.t.

David Arroyo (Movistar) s.t.

Kanstantsin Sivtsov (HTC-Highroad) s.t.

Igor Anton (Euskaltel) @ 59sec

John Gadret (Ag2r) @ 1min 7sec

Hubert Dupont (Ag2r) s.t.

Christophe Le Mevel (Garmin-Cervelo) s.t.

Michele Scarponi (Lampre) s.t.

Vasili Kiryienka (Movistar) s.t.

Matteo Carrara (Vacansoleil) s.t.

José Rodolfo Serpa (Androni Giocattoli) s.t.

Jesus Hernandez (Saxo) @ 1min 13sec

Francesco Masciarelli (Astana) @ 1min 22sec

Dario Cataldo (Quick Step) @ 1min 30sec

Przemyslaw Niemiec (Lampre) @ 1min 45sec

Emanuele Sella (Androni Giocattoli) @ 2min 9sec

Paolo Tiralongo (Astana) s.t.

Jan Bakelandts (Omega Pharma-Lotto) @ 2min 16sec

Denis Menchov (Geox) s.t.

Robert Kiserlovski (Astana) s.t.

Daniel Moreno (Katusha) @ 2min 21sec

Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) s.t.

Johan Tschopp (BMC) s.t.

Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Euskaltel) s.t.

Steven Kruijswijk (Rabobank) s.t.

Carlos Sastre (Geox) s.t.

GC after Stage 9:

Alberto Contador (Saxo) 33hr 3min 51sec

Kanstantsin Sivtsov (HTC-Highroad) @ 59sec

Christophe Le Mevel (Garmin-Cervelo) @ 1min 19sec

Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) @ 1min 21sec

Michele Scarponi (Lampre) @ 1min 28sec

David Arroyo (Movistar) @ 1min 37sec

Roman Kreuziger (Astana) @ 1min 41sec

José Rodolfo Serpa (Androni Giocattoli) @ 1min 47sec

Dario Cataldo (Quick Step) @ 2min 21sec

Matteo Carrara (Vacansoleil) @ 2min 21sec

Igor Anton (Euskaltel) s.t.

Vasili Kiryienka (Movistar) @ 2min 30sec

Stefano Garzelli (Acqua & Sapone) @ 2min 39sec

Francesco Masciarelli (Astana) @ 2min 49sec

John Gadret (Ag2r) @ 2min 55sec

Steven Kruijswijk (Rabobank) @ 2min 56sec

Hubert Dupont (Ag2r) @ 2min 57sec

Robert Kiserlovski (Astana) @ 3min 15sec

Emanuele Sella (Androni Giocattoli) @ 3min 17sec

Denis Menchov (Geox) @ 3min 18sec

Thomas Lovkvist (Sky) @ 3min 27sec

Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) @ 3min 34sec

Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Euskaltel) @ 4min 10sec

Johan Tschopp (BMC) @ 4min 23sec

Marco Pinotti (HTC-Highroad) @ 4min 56sec

Carlos Sastre (Geox) @ 4min 57sec

Jan Bakelandts (Omega Pharma-Lotto) @ 5min 51sec

Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago-CSF) @ 5min 53sec

Kevin Seeldrayers (Quick Step) @ 6min 3sec

José Rujano (Androni Giocattoli) @ 6min 5sec

Points (red jersey):

Alberto Contador (Saxo): 65 points

Alessandro Petacchi (Lampr)e: 64

Christophe Le Mevel (Garmin-Cervelo): 53

Michele Scarponi (Lampre): 42

Climber (green jersey):

Filippo Savini (Colnago-CSF): 16 points

Alberto Contador (Saxo): 15

Bart De Clercq (Omega Pharma-Lotto): 11

Young Rider (white jersey):

Roman Kreuziger (Astana) 33hr 5min 32sec

Francesco Masciarelli (Astana) @ 1min 8sec

Steven Kruijswijk (Rabobank) @ 1min 15sec

Team GC:

Astana 98hr 35min 20sec

Androni Giocattoli @ 18sec

Movistar @ 3min 38sec

Geox @ 7min 56sec

Ag2r @ 11min 6sec

Stage 9 route map

Stage 9 profile

Rest Day 1:Monday, May 16

Stage 10:Tuesday, May 17, Termoli - Teramo, 159 km

The Race: The day saw a trio of riders (Fumiyuki Beppu, Yuriy Krivtsov & Pierre Cazaux) leave the peloton before the stage was even a kilometer old. Their lead grew to over 6 minutes, but HTC-Highroad and Saxo kept them on a manageably short leash. They were caught with slightly more than 10 km to go and it was gruppo compatto, but close to the finish David Millar went on a flyer. The sprinters' teams were having none of this sort of nonsense and he was pulled back with 1 km to go. Petacchi led it out from too far back, especially since Mark Cavendish was sitting on his wheel. Cavendish easily took the slightly uphill finish for his first Giro win this year.

The Race: Today's stage was a short but bumpy ride to Castelfidardo. After many failed attempts to put together a combination of riders that could stay away, an 11-man group extracted itself from the peloton about 65-kilometers into the race. Interestingly, it had Christophe Le Mevel, third in GC, who ended up losing a bit of GC time and 1 place when the smoke had cleared. The break wasn't allowed much rope and never got a big gap on the pack. Daniel Moreno attacked from the break and held on to almost the line. John Gadret came flying out of the peloton on the uphill finish and was the first of 20 riders to go by Moreno.

The Race: Before the day's brutal Alpine stage began, 6 sprinters, including Alessandro Petacchi and Mark Cavendish, packed their bags and headed for the airport.

50 kilometers into the stage, 16 riders escaped and stayed away until the slopes of the final climb, the Grossglockner, began to bite. Igor Anton's Euskaltel was the most evident team at the front of the chasing peloton as the escape was kept within reach. With about 10 km to go, the escapees were back in the now-reduced fold. José Rujano attempted to get away but was pulled back. Then the big move. Alberto Contador showed that he is the finest human climbing machine when he dropped the rest of the elite riders remaining in the front group, but he did it with Rujano for company. The two worked together, giving Contador another minute and a half of margin in the GC over the other contenders. The king, content with the day's rewards, allowed Rujano to win the stage.

The Race: After protests from the riders and team directors (to Giro boss Zomagnan's extreme fury), the UCI ruled that the difficult descent of the Crostis was to be removed from the day's route. An ascent of the the Tualis was the planned replacement, but after learning that tifosi angered over the removal of the Crostis were planning a protest on the Tualis, that climb was also removed. That decision was made while the race was in progress. With the race shortened by about 35 km, the day's breakaway made it to the start of the Zoncolan ascent.

First Katusha's Rodriguez took off, then Igor Anton blasted away, the good racers all passing the earlier breakaway riders. Meanwhile, Contador (packing a 36 x 32 for the Zoncolan!), with a nice time pad, was content to sit on Vincenzo Nibali's wheel. Anton won the stage and in the final meters Contador left Nibali. Contador still owns the pink, red and green jerseys while Anton and Nibali are separated by only 1 second. Will Contador continue to help his countryman Anton move up the standings?

The Race: This was the Queen Stage or Il Tappone with five major climbs: Piancavallo, Cibiana, Giau (the Cima Coppi, or this year's highest point), Fedaia and Gardeccia.

The day's break cleared the peloton on the Piancavallo. Stefano Garzelli and Mikel Nieve Ituralde left this group on the Giau, with Garzelli soloing well off the front. On the Gardeccia, Ituralde caught and passed him and held on for the stage win. Back in the peloton, Vincenzo Nibali was having trouble on the climbs and had to use his substantial descending skills to regain contact twice after getting dropped. On the final climb, Contador left the small elite group of remaining riders, but could not substantially distance himself from Scarponi, who was having a very good day. Contador came close to catching Garzelli, but the 2000 Giro winner held on to second place by 10 seconds and took the climbers' green jersey as his reward.

The Race: Diego Ulissi (center), Pablo Lastras and Giovanni Visconti (Jan Bakelandts can be seen in the distance in the picture above) had left the day's break behind and as they sprinted, Visconti pushed Ulissi aside and was first across the line. The judges relegated Visconti for irregular sprinting.

The Race: At about km, 30 a 13-rider break rolled off and when it reached the Colle delle Finestre, Vasili Kiryienka took off (while the break was shattered by the Finestre's steep slopes). José Rujano went in pursuit but no one could catch Kiryienka today. Vincenzo Nibali suffered on both of the day's ascents, needing his superb descending skills to reconnect after the Finestre. Michele Scarponi gained a little more time on Nibali today. Alberto Contador easily defended his first place and now there is only the time trial in Milan.

The 2011 Giro d'Italia route was designed to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the unifiction of Italy, hence the start in Torino, Italy's first capital and the trip to Sicily where Garibaldi began his conquest of southern Italy

Here is the 2011 Giro by the numbers:

21 stages

7 mountaintop finishes (40 major climbs)

3,496 kilometers

13 km of unpaved roads (strade bianche)in stage 5 to Orvieto

21.5 km team time trial (stage 1)

12.7 km timed hill climb (Stage 16 to Nevegal)

32.8 km individual time trial (final stage 21 at Milan)

March 7: RCS Sport released the names of the teams invited to the 2011 Giro

Sixty days from the start of the 94th Giro d’Italia (May 7 to May 29, 2011); RCS Sport is required, in compliance with the UCI (Unione Ciclistica Internazionale) Regulation, to supply a complete list of the teams which have been invited to take part to the event.

Consequently, the following 18 teams belonging to the UCI ProTeam category having the right and the duty to participate, will line up on the starting line, i.e.

Moreover, an exceptional derogation having been granted by the UCI, allowing to outnumber the limit of 200 riders on the start line in Turin, in order to celebrate in a noteworthy way the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy by lining up national athletes and teams, the 18 UCI ProTeam will be joined by the following 5 teams belonging to the UCI Professional Continental category:

Each one of the 23 teams will be allowed to align 9 athletes for a total amount of 207 competitors at the start. All the mentioned teams are recorded in the Biological Passport Program and are kindly requested to supply within the deadline of April 7, 2011, the list of the 12 riders among which the participants to the Giro d’Italia will be selected.

RCS Sport-La Gazzetta dello Sport wish to express their gratitude to the UCI for granting the derogation to outnumber the limit of 200 competitors, and are available to cooperate with the international organization as regards safety and also to investigate into the pending cases regarding the fight against doping, as far as both teams and athletes are concerned.